Autonomous Spacecraft Technology for Repair Operations, Lifespan Improvement and Flight Testing

Project Information

ASTROLIFT

Grant agreement ID: 101144903

DOI 10.3030/101144903

EC signature date 9 February 2024

Start date 1 February 2024

End date 31 January 2026

Funded under

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Total cost € 4 203 837,50

EU contribution € 2 499 999,00

Coordinated by

D-ORBIT SPA
Italy

Objective

Satellites are the backbone of our communication system, with over 5,500 satellites carrying signals across the world. However, once satellites reach orbit, there is no way to inspect, upgrade or repair them. D-Orbit presents GEA, a disruptive spacecraft to be operated in geostationary orbit for in-orbit servicing (IOS) of commercial satellites. The spacecraft will be equipped with a robotic arm with 7 degrees-of-freedom and 3 mm accuracy. GEA also includes electric propulsion, navigation and altitude control subsystems specifically designed to capture and maneuver customer satellites. Thanks to this innovation, D-ORBIT will provide diverse IOS such as life extension and orbital relocation. Satellite operators will be able to extend the life of their satellites by up to 3 extra years (25-50% of the current lifetime, but the extension can go up to 7 years with GEA), achieving extra revenues with their existing assets of 20M per year. We target to capture up to 25% of the serviceable 33 GEO satellites with end of life in 2027-2030 for the initial service offering that would provide us with over 530 million in cumulative revenues by 2030 from IOS. Nonetheless, we are unable to fund this risky deeptech innovation from private investment in the current market landscape. Therefore, we request this funding from the EIC for the ASTROLIFT project, in the form of 2.5M in Grant and 15M in Equity.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.

• engineering and technology › mechanical engineering › vehicle engineering › aerospace engineering › satellite technology

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Keywords

• In- orbit servicing
• Robotics
• Space services and products
• Spacecraft
• Supporting Propulsion Technologies and Tools
• Manufacturing and processing
• Satellites and Probes

Programme(s)

• HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme

Topic(s)

• HORIZON-EIC-2023-ACCELERATORCHALLENGES-07 - EIC Accelerator Challenge: Customer-driven, innovative space technologies and services

Call for proposal

HORIZON-EIC-2023-ACCELERATOR-01

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-EIC-ACC-BF - HORIZON EIC Accelerator Blended Finance

Coordinator

D-ORBIT SPA

• Net EU contribution: € 2 499 999,00
• Address: VIALE RISORGIMENTO 57 ; 22037 Fino Mornasco Co ; Italy
• SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes:
  Region
  Nord-Ovest › Lombardia › Como
• Region: Nord-Ovest › Lombardia › Como
• Activity type: Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
• Total cost: € 4 203 837,50